Over 100 organisations to receive money from £11.5m loneliness fund

The government has awarded funding to 126 organisations for programmes that tackle loneliness through the £11.5m Building Connections Fund.

Funding has been awarded to new programmes for activities such as setting up community transport links or creating digital solutions to enable people to connect online.

There is also funding to expand existing programmes that use sport, the arts or music as a way for people to build friendships.

The Big Lottery Fund was responsible for distributing £9m from the fund and the Co-op Foundation was in charge of handing out £2m for youth organisations.

The fund was announced last year and applications for funding opened in the summer.

Mims Davies, minister for sport and civil society, said: “There is no one cause of loneliness and therefore no one solution. That is why we are working alongside a broad range of businesses, voluntary organisations and local councils to ensure that those who feel alone are best supported.”